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German Cinnamon Stars (Zimtsterne)

These nut meringues are also called erstesternen ("first stars"), a reference to the heavenly signs indicating the end of a fast day. They are traditionally served by German Jews at the meal following Yom Kippur.

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Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil.

2. Combine the nuts, cinnamon, and zest. Beat the egg whites on low speed until foamy, about 30 seconds. Add the salt, increase the speed to medium-high, and beat until soft peaks form, 1 to 2 minutes. Gradually add the confectioners' sugar and beat until stiff and glossy, 5 to 8 minutes. Reserve one-third of the meringue (about 1/3 cup) and fold the nut mixture into the remaining meringue.

3. Place a large piece of waxed paper on a flat surface and sprinkle with additional confectioners' sugar. Place the nut mixture on the sugar, lightly sprinkle with more confectioners' sugar, top with a second piece of waxed paper, and roll out 1/4 inch thick. Remove the top piece of waxed paper. Using a cookie cutter dipped in water, cut into 2-inch star shapes or use a sharp knife to cut into diamonds. Reroll and cut any scraps. Place on the prepared baking sheet.

4. Bake until set, 10 to 12 minutes. Spread the reserved meringue over the top of the cookies and bake until the tops are lightly colored, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a rack and let cool. Zimtsternen taste best if allowed to stand for 24 hours. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 weeks.

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Recent Reviews

Four forks because these cookies are amazing (I used to eat them as a child!) but not a perfect recipe.
As far as I can tell from other sources, the dough is supposed to be VERY sticky with these cookies, so I didn't lose heart when I had gotten my ball of sticky dough together. I popped it in the fridge for 20 minutes while I cleaned up a bit, then rolled it between cling film with not too much extra sugar. I found dipping the cutter in water much more helpful than dipping in sugar. This is definitely not a recipe for a baking newbie, but it's really not too hard as long as you expect very sticky dough-- it's supposed to be like that!
Do NOT over-bake. My oven is a piece of crap (and every oven is different) but I found 12 minutes too long. Some people even say they should be raw in the middle when you take them out-- they definitely shouldn't be crispy. I would also suggest not cooking the icing on for 5 extra minutes in the oven, the cookies will burn and the icing won't be white. Just put the icing on while they're cooling on the rack. This icing is not really meringue, it's what the British call "Royal Icing" and it doesn't need to be cooked-- it will just dry slowly over 24 hours. You can even put a wet cloth over the bowl with the icing in it, put it in the fridge and use it the next day to ice-- just add a bit of water if it's too thick.
Before the icing sets, you can add pieces of slivered almond/hazelnut on top to make them pretty. I make them with hazelnuts, I think they're better that way, but the almond ones are very nice, too.

garbanzorita from Toronto, Canada /

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These modifications are from authentic German recipes .

mlynch1958 from Upper Black Eddy, PA /

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Some flaws in this recipe. Resting and drying dough is very important. Increase Cinnamon to 11/2 lsp, Add 1 oz Kirschwasser to dough when folding in Almonds. Let dough rest 1 hour after mixing before rolling out.This will make the dough much less sticky. Use alot of powdered sugar on board, not wax paper. press out by hand, then roll to even dough out. After cutting out, let cookies dry overnight or 24 hours in cold oven.

mlynch1958 from Upper Black Eddy, PA /

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Four forks delicious!
Forget cutting them out with the star cutter - I put mine in a pastry bag with a huge tip and made "drop" cookies, so to say. My whites didn't beat up quite as stiff as they should have, so this worked just fine.
They were so good that I only put a few on the cookie trays to share and wound up eating the rest myself...yes, they are THAT good!

A Cook from Las Vegas, NV /

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Zimtsterne? More like Zimtsupernovae! Whoever heard of cooking meringues at 350°F? They tend to explode and ooze all over the cookie sheet. They tasted fine, but after looking at two other recipes, they called for baking them at 300°F for 20 minutes and glazing them before baking. Easier and cuts out a step. If the glaze is too thick to brush easily just add a few drops of water. I did the last sheet that way and they turned out much better. Adding more sugar to the dough made them very sweet, so I would incorporate the extra 1/2 cup called for but no more than 1 cup. Also the dough is so tender it is better to pat it out than roll it. I'll make them again, but with a different recipe.